EPA employees have been told not to bill their work to the administrative budgets of programs funded through the climate and infrastructure laws.
Two people familiar with internal developments at EPA said the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, which is responsible for the agency’s budget, directed career officials who work on programs funded through the laws to not charge hours to those laws’ accounts. Three people familiar with the situation said work on the programs had effectively been suspended.
Asked about the move, EPA told POLITICO’s E&E News that it was “working diligently” on President Donald Trump’s inauguration day executive order “Unleashing American Energy,” which directed agencies to “immediately pause the disbursement of funds” from the Inflation Reduction Act and the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.
“The agency has paused all funding actions related to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act at this time,” EPA said in an email. “EPA is continuing to work with [the Office of Management and Budget] as they review processes, policies, and programs, as required by the Executive Order.”